<a href="http://www.nbbj.com/" target="_blank">NBBJ</a> unveiled plans for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/amazons-new-green-roofed-headquarters-will-be-seattles-largest-development-ever/" target="_blank">Amazon's Seattle Headquarters</a> back in the fall of 2012 - but they just announced plans to add <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021026826_amazoncampusxml.html" target="_blank">three striking biospheres</a> to the heart of the 3-block downtown campus. Intended for employees only, the glass spheres will be filled with plants from around the world. The goal is to create a working environment that is more park-like and exciting than a typical 'vanilla' office space. Surrounding the LEED Gold-designed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/biospheres/" target="_blank">biospheres</a> is a much larger and improved public park than was originally part of the plan.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/amazons-new-green-roofed-headquarters-will-be-seattles-largest-development-ever/" target="_blank">Amazon's new Seattle campus</a> will revamp three blocks in the Denny Triangle area in between South Lake Union and the commercial core.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

The plan calls for three 37-story towers complemented with lower volumes, open space, parks, green roofs and art installations.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

Originally, the heart of the campus contained a public park and a low rectangular volume, which was rather nondescript in design - although it did have a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/green-roof" target="_blank">green roof</a>.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

<a href="http://www.nbbj.com/" target="_blank">NBBJ</a> is shaking things up a bit with their more striking plan to add three biospheres to the project.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

The largest dome will be 130 ft in diameter and the smallest about 80 feet in diameter.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

Inside, the spherical volumes will hold a variety of workplaces, dining areas, meeting rooms, lounges and public retail spaces on either end.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

The botanical zones will feature a range of plants, including mature trees from high-elevation climates that prefer temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

The highly transparent steel and glass structures would be filled with daylight and fresh air.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/nbbj" target="_blank">NBBJ</a> will design the structures to meet LEED Gold certification, which will help minimize energy use.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ-5

The spheres will be located in an improved public park that enhances the streetscape and reduces impact from shade and shadows.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

According to the <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021026826_amazoncampusxml.html" target="_blank">Seattle Times</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/amazon" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/nbbj" target="_blank">NBBJ</a> met with the city design review board this week to share the new plans.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

The plans were met with mixed reviews, although the consensus is that the biosphere plan is better than the old design. Amazon hopes to finish the project by 2016.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

Design process to change the office into one with a strong focus on landscaping, public space and an exciting place to work.

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Amazon Biospheres-NBBJ

NBBJ unveiled plans for Amazon's Seattle Headquarters back in the fall of 2012 - but they just announced plans to add three striking biospheres to the heart of the 3-block downtown campus. Intended for employees only, the glass spheres will be filled with plants from around the world. The goal is to create a working environment that is more park-like and exciting than a typical 'vanilla' office space. Surrounding the LEED Gold-designed biospheres is a much larger and improved public park than was originally part of the plan.